Improvement in hemp amd flax breaking machines



, 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

0.3. LEAVITT. Flax and Hemp Brake.

Patented Aug. 30, 1853.

, 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. 0. S. LEAVITT.

Flax and Hem p Brake. No. 9,973. Patented Aug. 30, 1853.

THE NORRIS PETERS (50-, WASHHVGTUN, D c.

Nrrnn S'rarns O. S. LEAVITT, OF B'IAYSVILLE, KENTUCKY.

I lWlPRQVEMENT EN HEMP AND FLAZK BREAKENG MACHINES.

specification forming part of'Lettcrs Patent No. 59,5??3, dated August30, 1853.

F0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, O. S..Ln.-rv1rr,ofMaysville, in the county of Mason and State of Kentucky, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in, the Machine for Breaking Flaxand Hemp, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, refereneebeing had to the accompanying drawings, makingpart of this specification, in which Figure l is a plan of the machine;Figs. 2 and 3, side elevations of the right and left hand sides of themachine, with the driving-pulley omitted, and Fig. i a longitudinalvertical sec tion.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

Inmy improved machine the flax (or hemp) to be broken is fed to themachine on an endless apron, which supplies it to two pairs of groovedrollers, from which it passes between an upper and lower set ofstationary blades, the spaces between the blades of each set beingsuflicient to break the stalks in given lengths by means of blades,which work vertically in the space between the blades of each set. Themovable blades are also made in two sets, with 'a space between the twosufficient for the pas sage of the flax or hemp, and hence the bladeshave a breaking motion up and down. From these blades the flax or hemppasses to and is carried along by two pairs of fluted rollers, so farapart as to-admit between them two fluted and toothedrol'lers, whichrotate with much greater velocity than thefluted feed-rollers on each,so that the flax or .hemp held and car-.

ried forward by the feed-rollers is acted upon on both surfaces bythe'alternate rows of flutes and teeth, to strip off the brokenfragments of bark or woody part of the plant. Thence the flax or hemppasses between another set of breakingblades, similar to the first setbut with'the blades nearertogether. During this last breaking. operationthe-flax or hemp is also held and carried forward by another pair offluted feed-rollers, which deliver it between two stationaryblades,beyond which the fibers are finally'stripped and cleansed of theimpurities by two vibrating c0mbsth-at is, two blades whose edges areserrated and hung on the ends of vibrating arms, which give to them areciprocating and, curvilinear combing action. Thence the fiberspassthrough a slotin 1 aplate hung to the other endsof-the vibrating arms,by the vibration of which a scraping action is produced on. the sliverof fibers, which then pass between the oblique sides of a trough to twofluted delivery-rollers.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents the frame, which may bevaried at pleasure,

and b an endless feed-apron, which supplies the flax or hemp to bebroken to two pairs of rollers, c 0, grooved in the direction of theperiphery. In eaclrpair the grooves of the under roller receive thefillets of the upper one, and the grooves in the rollers of the firstpair are opposite the fillets of the second pair. Motion is communicatedfrom the driving-shalt d by two trains of cog-wheels and pinions, e effff, on opposite sides of the frame and an intermediate shaft, g, andthe upper rollers receive motion from the under ones by means of pinionsh h h h at one end. The upper rollers are borne down to make pressure bysprings i, for which weighted levers may be substituted. As the stalksof flax or hemp pass be tween the first pair of these rollers they arecrushed longitudinally, and then more effectually crushed by passingbetween the second pair, by reason of the grooves of this pair beingopposite the fillets of the first pair. From these rollers the flax orhemp passes toand between a pair of fluted feed-rollers, j, and betweenthese and the groovhd rollers there are two sets of stationary blades,is it, each set consisting of four, (more or less,) the blades of theupper set being placed just over those of the lower set, and withsuffieient space between the two sets for the free passage of the flaxand hemp, which, in passing through, isbroken by the up-and-down motionof two sets of blades, Z Z, connected together at each end and slidingvertically on ways in the sides of the frame, and operated by aconnecting-rod, m, at'each end operated by a crank-shaft, 02 receivingmotion from some first mover by a belt or pulley, 0. The movable bladeswork in the spaces between the stationary blades, so that in moving upthey break against the upper set of stationary blades, and in movingdown,against the lower set of stationary blades. Beyond the. pair offeed-rollers j ,there is another and like'pair, p, and in the spacebetween the two "pairs there are two flying rollers, qq, one

above the other, the lower one of whichis also the driving-shaft,the twobeing geared together at one end by pinions. .These fly-rollers areliver the fibers through a slot, .2, in aplate, a,

fluted longitudinally and every alternate flute is cut into teeth alongthe edge, so that these' rollers, by their quick motion, act alternatelyby their straight and toothed edges on the upperand lower surface of thefibers, as they pass between them in a distended state, to strip off thebroken pieces of wood. From the second pair of feed-rollers, p, thefibers pass to and between a third pair, r, operated by a train ofcog-wheels, s s, and between this and the second pair of feed-rollersthere is a set ofstationary and movable blades, t t and u u, similar tothe first set before described, except that the blades are nearertogether. The movable blades of the second set are operated byconnecting-rods 'v "v, jointed to two arms, w w, of a rock-shaft, m,which receives motion by connecting-rods y y from the first set ofmovable blades. The third pair of feed-rollers defrom which they passbetween the oblique sides of a trough, b, in the form of a sliver to andbetween a pair of fluted delivery-rollers,- c, receiving motion by abelt, d, from a pulley, c, on one of the third pair of feed-rollers; butbetween the third pair of feed-rollers and the trough the fibers areacted upon first by two combs, f f, one abovethe other, placed in areversed oblique direction and attached each to the arms 9 g ofarock-shaft, h, the two rock-shafts being connected to vibrate togetherby a plate, 1', jointed at each end to the rear arms, j j, of the tworocker-shafts. These comb-plates are serrated or toothed, as representedin the drawings, (shown by the enlarged section, Fig. 5,) and by theirvibrating action and position they alternately have a short combingaction on the fibers, which answers the double purpose of dividing thewider harls of hemp or flax and loosening and throwing off the m'ostadherent shives, the sliver or sheet of fibers at the same time, to aidthis operation, being carried alternately up and down by passing througha slot in the plate '13. The two rock-shafts receive the requiredrocking motion by means of connecting-rods e z, joined to-the rear armsof the lower rock-shaft and to two cranks on a crank-shaft, m, which isrotated by a belt, at, on one end of the driving shaft.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my invention, Ido not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the preciseconstruction and arrangement of parts herein specified, as Ihave onlydescribed the mode of application which I have essayed with sneces's.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The combing apparatus, as described, in connection with the pieces it,which move alternately up and down to hold the hemp or flax against theaction of the combs f f.

O. S. LEAVIT'I. \Vitnesses:

JOHN L. Snrrn, THoMAs E. Wnmmns.

